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Children First Canada Report Released

Wednesday, 5 September 2018 16:36

The official logo (photo courtesy of Children First Canada)

The newly-released report raises questions around mental health and child poverty in Canada.

Children First Canada in partnership with the O' Brien Institute for Public Health and researchers from the University of Calgary have published a striking report regarding the wellness of Canadian children and youth.

The report notes all levels of government need to increase spending on investments for youth in the country.

Sara Austin, founder and lead director of Children First Canada, also noted challenges facing youth in the north, including social isolation and inter-generational trauma for many First Nations people.

According to the report, self-inflicted injuries rose 90 percent between 2009 and 2014 and more than 60 children were hospitalized between 2016 and 2017 for mental health concerns.

Another concerning issue is the 66% increase of emergency department over the last decade, with the report citing more people going to hospitals rather than speaking about their issues to people closest to them.

The report also noted 20-38 percent of Métis and Inuit children live in low income-thresholds in comparison to 16 percent for non-First Nations children.

The report also calls on the government for comparable funding for Métis, Inuit, and First Nations children and adolescents in comparison to the rest of the youth population.

The report examined findings such as physical and mental health and mortality rates in children, comparing data from numerous organizations such as Statistics Canada, Health Canada, and the Institute for Health Information.

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